what is the "lagom"the Swedish philosophy to find happiness or balance

The Swedish philosophy of lagom encourages you to get more out of life with just the right amount of everything. It’s about doing what is absolutely essential and knowing when to stop.

With its virtue of moderation and balance, it was crowned a few years ago as the “fashion word” by various publications such as Vogue and ELLE.

For Lola Akinmade Åkerström, a Stockholm-based writer and photographer, the Swedish spirit of lagom is what really defines the Scandinavian lifestyle.

“It is not just a word, but the essence of what it means to be Swedish and to live as such,” Åkerström writes in his book “lagomthe Swedish secret of the good life”.

“It deeply permeates Swedish society and language, from work and family to home decoration, food, care for the environment, finances and much more,” explains Åkerström in an interview with “Forbes”.

“For me, lagom actually means the best solution, not the perfect one, in any context to create balance. I would go so far as to say that it is the root of the Swedish mentality”, he adds.

According to Niels Eék, co-founder and psychologist of the wellness app Remente, it stands to reason that lagom is permeating among people all over the world.

“On the one hand, we are excessive in our work habits, relationships and whims. On the other, we are advised to limit ourselves by trying a new fad diet or fad detox,” he explains.

“In a world of contrasts and conflicting advice, lagom hits the spot: allows people to enjoy themselves, but stay healthy and happy at the same time“.

Etymologically, the word lagom is an Old Norse form of the word “law”, and also means “equipment” in Swedish.

But culturally, its roots go back to the times of the vikingswhen they would gather around the fire after a hard day’s work and pass around horns full of mead, a drink fermented with honey.

Each one was expected to drink just enough so that the others would also have enough. This “olaget om” (“to sit around the equipment”) has been shortened to “lagom” over the centuries.

It is a complicated concept to translate, because it mutates, changing its meaning in different situations and within different contexts.

Can mean “appropriate” in social, “moderation” in food, “less is more” in interior decoration, “mindfulness” in well-being, “sustainability” in lifestyle and “logic” in business. All of this carries a connotation of optimal decision-making.

But above all it entails making at all times the decision that is best for you or for the group in which you find yourself.

“Think of lagom as an imaginary scale that always needs to be balanced. Too little stresses the balance, too much stresses the balance, so a mentality lagom try to eliminate stress to always keep that scale balanced. Sustainable habits that can be maintained on a daily basis are the key to maintaining that balance,” explains Akinmade Åkerström.

Be lagom it also means being moderate in personality, opinions, and politics. Swedes, as a rule, hate to disagree, even during a dinner debate, which is incredibly frustrating in other cultures where getting excited is a sign of commitment, a sign that you care.

When Swedish children are called “skratta lagom”, or teenagers “lagom kul”, it does not mean “laugh heartily”, or “have a little fun”, but “don’t laugh too much”, or “don’t go too far”. the line”.

If the maxim of doing everything properly is followed, it is easy to understand how this philosophy works in different everyday situations.

For example, working too much is antithetical to lagomso a very quick way to apply the concept at work is to take regular breaks.

In Sweden, taking a break with a coffee and maybe a sweet with co-workers even has a name: “fika” and is usually done a couple of times during the working day. It helps you recalibrate the day so you don’t overwork yourself.

Also the mentality lagom involves planning and always seek consensus to minimize labor conflicts and confrontations.

At home, the lagom it tries to de-stress us, so everything that is not functional or does not have a strong emotional value is taking up space in the home.

It is about creating a warm, welcoming homewith objects that only bring you well-being or happiness because they bring back memories, for example.

Get rid of unnecessary things to avoid cluttered rooms.

The same goes for food. lagom wants you to have healthy eating habits that you can comfortably maintain.

Feed yourself with a sustainable, ethical and local consumption, with fresh and seasonal products. Reuse leftovers. An example of this is the recipe for pyttipannawhich is traditionally made with the remains of previous meals.

Likewise, it implies consuming consciously with a meticulous approach to the use of money, avoiding incurring useless expenses.

That is not to say that he is restricted when it comes to investing: in fact, heThe philosophy defends that it is better to spend on something good and lasting -like a quality piece of clothing- than something affordable and poorly made.

“I think the beautiful thing about this lifestyle is that we can choose the best parts to apply and mix them with our own cultures. For example, in my own life, I have become a better listener by talking less and sharing only relevant information,” says Åkerström.

“As for wellness, I have learned to say no more often and, more importantly, not feel guilty about it.”, he adds.

the beauty of lagom it’s that it’s a mindset and not just a specific set of actions to follow.

lagom he wants us to find our own balance and happy spots in our life to feel comfortable. There is no specific habit and my lagom it will not be you lagom.

If we focus first on our needs and satisfy them to the maximum with the best quality we can afford, we are already laying the foundation for satisfaction in our lives.

As the lagom of one person is not exactly the same as that of another, a negative side of the lagom within the groups.

This causes people to conform to ensure harmony and not bring their individual levels of lagom to the group to avoid causing jealousy and resentment.

lagom he wants to push us into a space of individual satisfaction while creating harmony within groups.

“lagom teaches us to avoid both excess and extreme limitation, allowing us to better understand what makes us happy and what works for our own unique mental well-being,” says Eék.

“By adopting a mentality lagomwe teach ourselves to avoid extremes of mood or feeling.”

So the next time you travel through Sweden and are met with long periods of silence and measured responses, chances are it has absolutely nothing to do with you and you have encountered lagom in action.

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